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Ohmas Tribe
The Ohmas are a tribe of desert dwelling humans. Born out from centuries of shipwrecked humans on the shores of Tanaris like all other tribes, the Ohmas are a smaller tribe descended from Ohma, one of the ancient King Hassani's children. Despite a fierce dedication to peace, the Ohmas are a militant tribe & often hire themselves out to various parties who require (or can pay for) their work. The tribe has no dedicated craft & followers of the disparate sects of The Blessed Light can be found among their ranks. Origins As is the case with many of the 'native' humans in Tanaris, the Ohmassi people are descendants of, primarily, shipwrecked humans who crashed onto the shores of Tanaris. Many of their ancestors were also likely slaves to the ancient Troll and Highborne empires which once held power in the region. In any event, the Ohmas were formed in the strife following the death of the ancient King Hassani of the Sands & when seven of his children fought for leadership among his Kingdom. This conflict broke the Kingdom apart, scattering the Children and their followers across much of Tanaris. Ohma Abizi, a relatively younger son, went south and established the City of Mahar (eventually known as Abiza), where the Tribe of Ohmas soon flourished. Although they had come into conflict with some of their brethren in other tribes, the Ohmas preferred general isolation (militarily speaking) & trade with the other tribes. This pattern eventually resulted in the modern arrangement with the other tribes and the Ohmas have not had a major conflict with other tribes for almost two decades. Recent History Twenty-three years prior to the Cataclysm, the Ohmas were engaged in a great war with the Hazzali Silithid of the Gaping Chasm. With that year's hatching season finished, the Qiraji manipulated the Silithid into attacking Abiza, the capital of the Ohmas Tribe. Gathering their tribesmen, an army of almost 200 was gathered, including the mystical Ark Canars, for a campaign of vengeance & pride for the attack on their beloved Abiza. In what became known as the Seven Month Siege, Sheikh Hazhra Kur-mari led the Ohmas in a genocidal campaign against the Hazzali. With the unleashing of a great magical attack by the Ark Canars and the slaying of the Queen Silithid, the Hazzali were all but wiped out. One remaining egg survived and was preserved in magical stasis by the Canars. The egg became a prized court possession, however briefly it remained in the Sheik's palace. Though meat and chittin was plentiful following the war, their vengeance cost them dearly. When the reserves of silithid meat became empty and their chittin armor & weapons became old, there was no way to replace them. Famine struck the tribe and their enemy, the Hussan Tribe, took advantage & attacked Abiza. Its defenses crippled & its people starving from hunger, the city fell in a matter of hours & the Palace was taken. The Scarab King sat on the empty throne, surrounded by his honor guard & soldiers, and the Ohmas who remained became virtual slaves in their own city. But much of the army and the Sheikh himself had fled into the Gaping Chasm & the mountains surrounding it. With Hazhra was the sole egg of the Hazzali. Living off of turtle hunting from the distant beaches to the south, the Ohmassi resistance force contemplated reviving the Hazzali. Realizing pride had caused their downfall and that the Hazzali were a crucial element in Ohmas' survival, the egg was released & the young silithid was raised until breeding age (just a few short weeks after birth). In a matter of months, the Gaping Chasm surged with Hazzali once more. The scorpid populations had boomed in the downfall of the Hazzali, allowing the silithid to repopulate quickly. Armed with new chittin tools, the Ohmassi resistance attacked Abiza with Hazhra at the lead. The ousting of Hussan from Abiza was a turning point in the tribe's recent history. A newfound respect for the Hazzali and an internal desire to defeat pride in the presence of survival tempered the Ohmas. This lesson allowed for the Hussan to persist and not to feel the claws of vengeance from the Ohmas. Although the tribe views them as treacherous, they have not launched an attack on any Hussani settlement nor have they allowed any tribe to engage in wholesale slaughter of the Hazzali. They have become keenly aware of the delicate balance that their tribe lives in, which has ultimately pushed for greater trade with their brethren & with the foreign settlements within Tanaris. Although the Queen of the Hazzali has not been seen in twenty years, it is believed that the current Queen is the same one Hazhra released, as dying or dead Queens are removed from the Chasm & left to rot in the sands outside the Hive's territory. Such an act has not been seen since the Hazzali's return. Military The military of the Ohmas is varied, but every man is required (if physically able) to know some combat training & most women are known to at least know some handling of some weapons (generally staves & daggers, but the image of an Ohmassi mother defending her children from bandits with a schmitar is a common cultural icon among the tribe). The Ohmas are a people ready for war should it come, despite not having had a war for many years. To hone their skills, they often hire out several dozen of their men for several months out of a year to military forces (recently having been able to use Gadgetzan as a place to move out into the wider world) or will engage in conflict with the local Hazzali silithid hive. The latter as both a safety precaution as well as collection of food & chittin armor which the Silithid provide. *Eageliers: The heavy soldier organization among the Ohmas. Trained in the standard arts of martial conflict, though some are known to use the power of the Blessed Light. Named for their Patron Demigod, the Mighty Rahj's, spiritual animal the desert eagle. *The Sandstalkers: Primarily a 'shadow operations' and scouting force, the Sandstalkers are specialized in assassinations, hand-to-hand combat, and scouting. Lightly armored, they are known to make use of poisons. Their Patron Demigod is the shadowy Setesh. **A subsect of the Sandstalkers are specialized in long-ranged combat, generally with use of bows & crossbows, although firearms are becoming increasingly common (although they almost entirely are older surplus purchased from the Steamwheedle Goblins) to the point that bows have become mostly ceremonial objects. *Ark Canars: The Canars are the Ohmas' militant caster corps. Specialized with the application of magics of all kinds, the Canars often serve as tacticians first rather than battlefield soldiers. Their Patron Demigod is the motherly Isiset. *The Mystics of the Ohmas have no named order. They serve in an individual fashion, with Master Mystics training one or many apprentices in order to better heal the wounds of the tribe or to enhance its capabilities. Their Patron Demigod is the swarthy Ammunae. Leadership Like many tribes, the Ohmas have a Sheik. The current Sheik is the revered & beloved Hazhra Kur-mari, a slightly portly man with a long beard & a bellowing laugh. He has a strong tolerance for alcohol, enjoys dancing and celebrating and keeps close relations with all of his wives and children. He has reigned for nearly forty years since his sixteenth birthday. Known for his fierce love for his people, Hazhra has continued his tribe's tradition of facilitating peaceful cooperation with the other Tanaris tribes. While not a member of any particular sect, Hazhra is known as a man of devotion to The Blessed Light and has worked to promote greater cooperation among the disparate sects, although to far lesser success than his political dealings with the other tribes. He is a trained Eagelier and one of the first blacksmiths in his tribe to be trained by the Goblins of Gadgetzan, he forged his own sword, known as Light of Rahj. A long scimitar made of an unusual metal bought from the Goblins, the sword is carried with him at all times. As a young Sheik he was known for often hosting sword dueling competitions within his court for both pleasure & as a means to weed out potential threats. Hazhra has three wives and thirteen sons & daughters from them. His oldest son, Mazhral, is an Eagelier Captain & is similarly beloved by the Tribe as his father. He has acquired several monikers & nicknames before & during his reign as Sheikh of the Ohmas. This include: *''The Brilliant Cobra'' - For his renown swordplay during his early reign involving quick strikes & blinding his enemies with the reflection of his blade. Even to the modern day he is believed to be one of the best swordsman of the Ohmassi. *''The Pride of the Sands'' - Bestowed by the people onto him following the Seven Month's War, he held it as a title of honor until the fall of Abiza. Following this, he began to forsake 'pride' when he saw how it devastated his people in the years after the war & stopped holding the title in such regard. The Hussani still refer to him as it in a mocking manner. *''The Reclaimer'' - For his acts of valor in the retaking of Abiza. He has referred to all of his soldiers who fought in that vicious conflict as 'Reclaimers', holding it in no special regard. *''Rahj's Right Hand'' - His swiftness in settling a dispute between two Priests over religious text was accompanied with the perching of a family of eagles in his open roof court. This was seen as a sign of favor by Rahj and was believed by many to be the beginning of a long, successful reign & many among the Priesthood saw Hazhra as the 'Right Hand of Rahj' because of this. *''The Mercenary King'' - A primarily derogative title used by Hussani & Ka'abi tribesmen alongside Pride of the Sands. *''Heir to the Empire ''- As with all leaders of the Seven Great Tribes, the current ruling families all hold themselves as the 'Heirs to Hassan's Empire' and Hazhra is no different, despite holding a firm stance on remaining neutral with their fellow Tanari. Livelihood Situated in the southern, central desert of Tanaris, the Ohmas rely heavily on trade. Fortunately, the generally flat terrain allows for some farming of hardy vegetables & roots which require minimal water but are very tough, often boiled in goat or camel milk. Animal husbandry is scarce but the tribe does boast several goat herds. The primary sources of meat for the tribe are Scorpids & Hazzali Silithid, the former also providing burning material in lieu of wood & poison while the latter provides material for armor & sinew. While generally a society that avoids alcohol, the Ohmassi leadership tend to be heavy drinkers & it is customary for brides & husbands to share a drink on their wedding day. While the Ohmassi---as a whole---dedicate their lives to peace, the most significant portion of their economy comes from military contractors hiring their mercenaries. In most cases, the Sandstalkers and Ark Canars' services are dispatched to fulfill the contract---a heftier sum to hire the Eageliers, if the situation truly calls for the best of Abiza to be summoned. Much of the time, Lesser Viziers, Minor Noblemen and Co-Signers are sent across the known world to find relatively easy work for the highest pay; both the Co-Signer and the Mercenary Captain must agree to the terms, all the while sending all earnings directly to Abiza. Despite the culture of sell-swordsmanship, hiring thugs and performing raids (or even assassinations), the Ohmassi Mercenaries act with honor: they will not accept assassination warrants upon other tribesmen or other Tanari, nor will they kidnap or harm women and children. Another noteworthy trait is loyalty to the contract until the conditions are met. One popular and highly-relevant folktale among the Tanari is of the Ohmas Tribe's dedication to such principles: in the tale, a desperate and unkempt transient stumbles across a detachment of Sandstalkers in the desert. Using the last gold coin to his name, he hires the war-band to protect him. Shortly thereafter, a Wastewalker Bandit Warlord charges up to the Ohmassi and demands the Transient be surrendered to them---offering a hefty bribe beyond most men's imaginations. The Captain of the war-band declines, stating the Transient has already contracted them, then quickly ordering his men to butcher the Wastewanders---saving the Transient and taking the alleged bribe from the Bandits' corpses. Relations and Alliances While the Ohmas attempt to hold a neutral standing with all tribes regardless of affiliation, the hold some close alliances with the Bashir & Tafi tribes (the Bashir being a local & one of the strongest tribes & the Tafi being a northern and equally politically shrewd tribe). Despite their allaince with the Bashir, the Hussan tribe (another ally of the Bashir) hold the Ohmas in contempt for their consorting with those outside of the tribes of Tanaris. Despite this animosity, the Ohmas remain steadfast in their neutrality to never fight with other Tanari tribesmen, but do not tolerate Hussani attacks on Ohmassi farms & herders. *Bashir- Ally *Tafi- Ally *Ra'Haas- Neutral *Uqyal- Neutral *Ka'ab- Neutral/Unfriendly leaning *Hussan- Unfriendly Notable Members Kahnrad Mir-set Dschinghis Adenhadi Mercenary Captain Sirdar al-Ohmas Nizaam al-Ohmas, the Strong Category:Organizations Category:Ohmas Tribe Category:Mercenary Organizations Category:Tanari Category:Human Clans Category:Houses, Clans and Tribes